Today, October 8, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu (Estonian Parliament), Marko Mihkelson, submitted a draft statement to the parliament recognizing the deportation of the Crimean Tatar people by the Soviet regime as an act of genocide. The draft statement condemns the mass extermination of Crimean Tatars and their forced deportation from the Crimean Peninsula. Furthermore, the statement emphasizes that the Russian Federation, after the occupation of Crimea in 2014, continues its genocidal policy against the Crimean Tatars, aimed at erasing their identity and wiping out the historical and cultural heritage of the Crimean Tatar people.

The statement also calls for the condemnation of the ongoing crimes against the Crimean Tatars in occupied Crimea, which persist today through systematic detentions, torture, abductions, and the prohibition of learning and using their native language. The statement urges the international community to show solidarity and continue condemning the occupation of Crimea by the Russian Federation.

Additionally, the document demands the unconditional restoration of Ukraine’s state sovereignty over the territories that the Russian Federation has occupied since the beginning of its armed aggression in 2014, stressing that Crimea is an integral part of Ukraine.

The Riigikogu parliamentarians reaffirm their active participation at all levels of the International Crimea Platform, with the goal of restoring Ukraine’s territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders.

We extend our gratitude to the 54 deputies of the Estonian Parliament for taking this important step in recognizing the crimes committed against the indigenous Crimean Tatar people, and to Estonia for its consistent support of Ukraine and solidarity in the fight against Russian aggression. We look forward to the document being voted on in the Parliament soon.

Elagu Eesti! Glory to Ukraine!